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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29280576">Hybrid AU Valentine's Week 2021</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NickieMoot/pseuds/NickieMoot'>NickieMoot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Team Fortress 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, M/M, Valentine's Day</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:40:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29280576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NickieMoot/pseuds/NickieMoot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ficlettes written for Don't Need A Dispenser's Valentine's week prompts! All taking place in the Hybrid Au.</p><p>Day 1: Medic/OC, ending<br/>Day 2: Pyro/Spy, gift<br/>Day 4: Demo/Soldier, hurt/comfort<br/>Day 5: Scout/Sniper, alternate universe<br/>Day 6: Heavy/Medic, confession</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Demoman/Soldier (Team Fortress 2), Engineer/Pyro/Spy (Team Fortress 2), Heavy/Medic (Team Fortress 2), Medic/Original Character(s), Pyro/Spy (Team Fortress 2), Scout/Sniper (Team Fortress 2)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>dontneedavalentine2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Intro</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Because I’m not posting things in order, here is a quick explanation of this au!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mercs have all been experimented on and are now human/animal hybrids. They have things like the claws, teeth, eyes, ears, scales, feathers, etc of the animal they are hybridized with, as well as internal changes like hearts, lungs, spines, brain stems, etc. The idea behind the experiment was to make enhanced humans, almost like a super-soldier project. They work directly for the Administrator as the “purple team”, not RED or BLU. Their base is somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico. The project is top secret and no one outside of the project can know of its existence. The men use spy disguise kits when they need to hide their alterations.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The medic OC who conducts the experiments is Dr. Erich Von Brandt. He and the non-OC Medic knew each other back in Germany. He is not a field medic and not a fighter, and the others tend to refer to him as “Doctor”, as opposed to “Medic”. He’s not exactly a villain but he’s not a good person either. Most of the mercs did not really consent to being experimented on, or were coerced into it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>The hybrids-</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Scout:</strong> Pronghorn (American antelope). Has unguligrade legs with hooves, horns, and pronghorn eyes and ears. Is incredibly fast. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Soldier:</strong> Raccoon. Has claws, fangs, raccoon eyes and ears, and a tail. Was the first experiment, just to see if it could be done. Has keen senses including excellent night vision.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Pyro:</strong> Gila monster. Has scales over their entire body, claws, sharp teeth with venom glands, and a tail. Was an attempt to create a fireproof “dragon” simulacrum but the experiment was not successful, so they still wear the fireproof suit (with a tail part added on).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Demoman:</strong> Wolf. Has digitigrade legs, claws, fangs, wolf eyes and ears, and a tail. Has an exceptional sense of smell and can detect and identify chemicals, such as bomb components, with incredible accuracy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Heavy:</strong> Bear. Has claws, fangs, thickened body hair almost like fur, and bear ears. Is extremely strong and able to survive extreme conditions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Engineer:</strong> Armadillo. Has a tail, armadillo ears, and patches of tough carapace armor (not a full shell, but large patches, so he does not lose mobility). The carapace is bulletproof.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Medic:</strong> Dove. Has large feathered wings attached to the back of his shoulders, a feathered tail, and bird legs with talons. Was an experiment to see if a human can fly; only partially successful, as flying is very clumsy and limited and takes a lot of energy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Sniper:</strong> Saltwater crocodile. Has scales over half of his body, claws, sharp teeth, webbing between digits, and a tail. Also has sensory pits to detect very slight movements. Is able to swim incredibly well and hold his breath for long periods of time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><strong>Spy:</strong> Octopus. Legs replaced by eight tentacles, altered skin that can change color and texture, and gills (internal gills, located down near the tentacles). Also has lungs still. Gets around on land using a scooter-like device that Engineer designed for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Feel free to ask if anything is confusing! I realize posting things out of order is unintuitive and hard to follow.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ending (Medic/OC)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>For the prompt "ending", Medic/Medic OC (Ludwig/Erich). This is the only angsty one, I promise, it's fluff from here on out.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was strange, having Ludwig here. The last time he and Erich spoke was years and years ago, when the war in Germany was just starting. They were fresh out of medical school, where they had met and started dating. 1939 was not a safe time to be homosexual in Germany, especially not for Ludwig, who had Jewish lineage. Erich moved to the countryside to lay low and tried to convince Ludwig to come with him, but Ludwig had plans to head for America. They fought, then Ludwig had simply disappeared. Erich never knew whether he made it or not until Ludwig’s dying body was brought to his surgery theatre on the Gulf of Mexico by the Administrator’s agents in 1965. He didn’t recognize him at first. His priority was the massive wound in his chest, the mangled spine and punctured lungs and damaged heart, and even when he did finally take a good look at his face it was so much older than he remembered.</p><p>It was a bittersweet moment when he realized exactly who he was operating on. He supposed this fate, here in America, was better than what Ludwig would have faced back in Germany. He had succeeded in escaping the Nazis and had been free, and although he was now dying, Erich was going to save him and improve him. His experiments were fair and as painless as possible. Ludwig probably wouldn’t have protested if he was conscious anyway. He had always been fascinated by unconventional methods and was more than happy to put himself out on the front line for science.</p><p>They never did agree on Ludwig’s very hands-on methods, even back in medical school. Of course he would become a battle medic and end up like this. Well. Look where that had gotten him, Erich thought. Why was he even worrying about this? He hadn’t given so much thought to the other test subjects. Sure, he and Ludwig had history, but it was over twenty-five years ago. He had long since gotten over it. This man on his surgery table was just another body for his experiments. It didn’t matter what they used to have. It didn’t matter that this man had left him behind without a goodbye years ago. Erich was professional and level-headed, he wouldn’t treat this subject any different than the others.</p><p>A couple years later, when Ludwig- no, Medic, he was simply called Medic now- began having a surprisingly serious relationship with the heavy weapons expert from Russia, Erich looked the other way and pretended not to care. If Medic and Heavy noticed him quietly leaving the room whenever they sat too close or touched too casually, they pretended not to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Gift (Spy/Pyro)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prompt is "gift", and the focus is Spy/Pyro but technically it's Spy/Engineer/Pyro polyamory. Pyro is nonbinary and is referred to with they/them.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pyro liked to give people gifts. Both of his boyfriends had collections of trinkets they had given them. Engie always had drawings taped to the workshop walls and wildflowers hung to dry. Spy had an ever-growing collection of flawless, unbroken seashells that decorated his underwater bedroom as well as the little pool Engie had built in the corner of the workshop. That pool had also been a gift from Pyro, in a way. When they noticed Spy often had to leave to return to the water they had dragged a little plastic kiddie pool full of saltwater inside for him, which Engie later improved. It surprised Spy how observant Pyro could be. The pool and the seashells and their general awareness of his aquatic nature was honestly very sweet.</p>
<p>Spy would like to reciprocate somehow but, unfortunately, the isolated nature of the base and the difficulty of hiding their natures in public made his usual methods unreasonable. There were no florists, or gourmet restaurants, or high class theaters out here in the middle of nowhere. For the most part things had to be shipped in with their regular supplies. Sure, neither of his lovers had as sophisticated tastes as he did and would no doubt be pleased with simpler things, but Spy had standards. He thought about his options for entirely too long before finally putting in his request before the next supply shipment.</p>
<p>The evening of Valentine’s Day, the three of them gathered in the workshop after dinner, as usual. It wasn’t the most romantic setting but it had more privacy than the mess hall or recreation room, allowing Pyro to feel comfortable taking off their mask. Spy slid into the shallow pool while Pyro and Engie pulled up chairs to sit next to it. Spy gave Engie a very expensive bottle of small batch oak barrel aged whiskey, which was well received, as expected. Then he gave a smallish box to Pyro.</p>
<p>Pyro seemed surprised to also be getting a gift, and took the box somewhat hesitantly. They still had that habit of glancing at Engie whenever they were unsure. Cute. Engie nodded and Pyro opened the box to find one dozen little chocolate bonbons.</p>
<p>Spy smiled at the happy little “oooh” Pyro made. “They’re imported from France, from a chocolatier I used to know personally. I didn’t know what flavors you’d prefer so each one is different.”</p>
<p>Pyro picked one at random and popped it into their mouth. Spy could practically see the moment the flavor hit their tongue as their eyes lit up and they let out an exaggerated hum. “Mmm! That one had a cherry inside!”</p>
<p>“I take it you like it, then?”</p>
<p>Pyro nodded and popped another one in their mouth. “Mm-hm!” These are the fanciest sweets I’ve ever had!” They paused suddenly and their smile slowly turned down. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you any Valentine’s Day presents, Spy.”</p>
<p>“Non, mon amour, this is making up for the gifts you have given me.” He gestured down to the seashells lining the edge of the shallow pool.</p>
<p>Pyro’s eyes glanced between the seashells and the fancy chocolates in their hands. “But they’re not as fancy as this…”</p>
<p>Spy pushed up to the edge of the pool and put an arm around Pyro’s shoulders. A few of his tentacles, as always, acted with minds of their own and reached out to touch them as well. “Your gifts are far more thoughtful, mon amour. I know you always make sure each little trinket you give me is flawless. And it was you who thought to put a pool in this room.”</p>
<p>“But Engie was the one who made it…”</p>
<p>Engie reached over and pat Pyro on the shoulder. “It was still your idea, Firebug. If it weren’t for you, Spy’d still be having to go outside to take a dip in the canal every time he starts feelin’ dry.”</p>
<p>“Oh…” Pyro seemed a bit overwhelmed and just looked down at the floor. Spy and Engie took pity on them and backed off a bit to share that nice bottle of whiskey. Luckily the mood didn’t last very long and soon Pyro was smiling and mentally present in the moment again. They even started biting the bonbons in half so they could share bites of the particularly fun flavors with their boyfriends. The combination of whiskey and chocolate bonbons was odd, and the workshop was certainly no romantic French getaway, but Spy found himself more than happy with how this Valentine’s Day turned out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Hurt/Comfort (Demo/Soldier)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prompt is hurt/comfort, and poor Demo is real messed up about being a hybrid. At least his boyfriend is there for him!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soldier may not have been the most observant, but even he had noticed something was wrong with Demo. His partner had been getting much more drunk much more often than usual. It was always the sad kind of drunk, too, and while Demo was normally a pretty emotional man he didn’t used to cry every single day. Something was going on.</p>
<p>Soldier spent a little time considering the best method of handling the problem, but ultimately he decided on his favorite strategy: Direct frontal assault. Or in this case, just walking up to Demo and asking him outright.</p>
<p>Demo blinked up at him from where he was slouched on one of the rec room couches with a bottle of scrumpy. “You’ll laugh at me.”</p>
<p>“Why would I do that?”</p>
<p>“It’s bloody embarrassing. It’s a stupid reason to be upset and I know it.”</p>
<p>Soldier nudged Demo’s legs off the couch so he could sit down next to him. “If it’s causing this much trouble it can’t be stupid. But even if it is, we can and should still do something about it!” He made a fist to punctuate his point but Demo just shook his head.</p>
<p>“Janey, this is nae something you can solve with yer fists. I just…” He sniffed. “I miss me mum.”</p>
<p>Soldier frowned. “But you are still allowed to visit her.”</p>
<p>“Aye, but she can’t touch me anymore, Jane. I can’t have her accidentally feel the wolf parts. I don’t know how I’d explain to her that her only son, the last of the DeGroot line, has been turned into a freak.” He sniffed again and took a swig of scrumpy.</p>
<p>Soldier tapped his chin as he thought for a moment. “You’ve been here for a while now and it’s never been an issue before, what changed?”</p>
<p>“It’s bloody stupid.”</p>
<p>“Tell me anyway.”</p>
<p>Demo sighed and pulled the beanie he was wearing off his head, revealing his unkempt hair sticking up every which way. “Me hair is gettin’ long. Mum used to braid it for me when it got long, but I cannae let her anymore or she’ll touch my ears.”</p>
<p>Soldier reached over and put his fingers in his partner’s hair. It was coarse and frizzy and stuck at odd angles from being squashed under the beanie. The texture of the fur on his wolf ears was too different not to notice, it wouldn’t be possible to hide it from his mother even though she was blind. “Why not just get a haircut?”</p>
<p>Demo sighed again. “It’s no’ that, it’s just… It’s nice to have someone do yer hair for ye. We’re stuck out here in the middle of nowhere and on the rare occasion we are allowed back into society, we have to use those bloody disguise kits and keep our distance from other human beings. I can’t even hug me own mum anymore. I miss it, Jane.” His eye started to look wet, like he was on the verge of crying again.</p>
<p>They sat in silence for a few moments. Soldier kept his hand on Demo’s head, idly scratching his scalp, while he thought. Then he snapped the fingers of his other hand. “I have an idea! I will braid your hair!”</p>
<p>“You know how to braid?”</p>
<p>“Well. No. But you could teach me!” Soldier grinned.</p>
<p>Demo gave him a look he couldn’t quite read. It was somehow happy and sad and surprised all at the same time and he still looked like he was about to cry. “You’d do that for me? Just because I’m being a sentimental fool?”</p>
<p>“Of course! If the solution requires learning how to braid hair, then by God I will learn how to make the best braids you’ve ever seen!”</p>
<p>Demo did start crying then, but he had a huge smile on his face. He leaned over and gave Soldier a firm kiss on the mouth. The bottle of scrumpy was dropped on the floor and rolled away somewhere but neither of them really cared.</p>
<p>The week after, Demo wore the frizziest and most uneven rows of braids anyone had ever seen, looking happy and proud as could be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Alternate Universe (Scout/Sniper)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ok listen I know it's ALL been an au, so for this prompt I just thought of a scene that is more specifically about the hybrid au. In other words, highlighting the fact that Scout is a pronghorn man and Sniper is a crocodile man.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You want me to swim with you?”</p>
<p>Sniper was lazing on his back in the water, wearing just his sleek swim trunks that were modified to fit around his crocodile tail. It was sunny out and the relatively shallow water of the man-made lagoon was warm. “It’s a nice day for it.”</p>
<p>Scout frowned and his long ears flicked back. “Y’know, it’s weird, but somehow gettin’ in the water with a crocodile feels like a bad idea.”</p>
<p>Sniper grinned, showing his sharp teeth. “What, you afraid I’m gonna eat ya?”</p>
<p>“Naw, of course not. Shut up.”</p>
<p>“Then what’s the problem, Bambi?”</p>
<p>Scout looked down and scuffed the dirt with his hoof. “I was okay at swimmin’ before, not bad at it or anything but I mean I wasn’t on the swim team or nothin’… I don’t know if I can do it now that I got hooves.”</p>
<p>Sniper rolled forward so he was upright and facing Scout. “Nonsense, pronghorns are great swimmers. They cross rivers all the time, and this is water is nice and still. Ain’t nothin’ to it.”</p>
<p>“No way they can out-swim a crocodile.”</p>
<p>“I ain’t askin’ for a race. Just a swim. Just to relax.” Scout stepped toward the water’s edge but hesitated, his ears twitching. “I promise not to eat ya if you start drownin’.”</p>
<p>“Shut up, man.” Scout rolled his eyes but started stripping down to his briefs, haphazardly tossing his shirt and pants aside into the dirt. Despite all his hesitance he jumped right into the water all at once, which made Sniper laugh. Scout always rushed into things head-first. His legs kicked furiously trying to keep himself above the water. He wasn’t paddling in an efficient way, more just flailing and freaking out, which Sniper knew meant he was wasting a lot of energy to just barely stop from sinking. He sighed.</p>
<p>“C’mere, Bambi.” He swam behind Scout and slipped his arms around his waist. “Quit kickin’ yer legs, I got ya.” As soon as Scout’s legs stopped their thrashing Sniper pressed his chest to Scout’s back and slowly leaned back so they were lounging together. His tail slowly waved back and forth to move them in a lazy lap around the lagoon.</p>
<p>Scout took a moment to process that he was not, in fact, drowning. “Oh. This is okay.”</p>
<p>“Mm-hm.”</p>
<p>Slowly, the nervous energy left Scout and he relaxed back into Sniper. His muscles let go of their tension and his heart stopped pounding so hard that Sniper could feel it. Sniper was going to leg go of him and move to float beside him, but Scout put his hands over top of his own to hold him in place. He idly played with Sniper’s hands, feeling the webbing between his fingers and playing with his claws.</p>
<p>Sniper wasn’t really sure what it was about him that calmed Scout down. Usually getting him to relax and be quiet was impossible unless you knocked him out, but somehow Sniper could do it just by being there. Maybe he had a calming aura, or energy, or whatever the hippies called it. He didn’t mind listening to Scout talk but these rare moments when Scout was content to stay silent and just enjoy his company, they made him feel special. No one else got to have Scout relaxed and happy like this. It was reserved just for him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Confession (Medic/Heavy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The prompt is "confession". This is the last one I have prepared for the week. I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to ask me about the au if anything wasn't clear!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Medic couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but for the last few days something seemed off about Heavy. He seemed lost in thought quite often, and he kept asking Medic how to say seemingly random things in English. Not practical things, but things that seemed to come out of nowhere, like asking if there was an English word for a specific emotion or color hue. They were sitting outside enjoying the cool evening air and the space to stretch his wings when Medic finally asked about it.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you ask Spy for help with English? He is much better at it than I am, and I know he speaks Russian as well.”</p>
<p>Heavy shook his head. “Spy asks too many questions.”</p>
<p>Medic raised an eyebrow at that. “That makes me wonder if I am not asking enough questions. Are you hiding something?”</p>
<p>To his surprise, Heavy glanced away and his face started to grow pink. “Is just personal. Do not want to share with Spy.”</p>
<p>“Personal? What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I am… working on something. Will show you when done.”</p>
<p>Medic was intrigued and started to pester him for more information but Heavy refused to give him more than that. Even over the next few days, whenever he asked, Heavy would only say he was still working on it and brush the questions off.</p>
<p>Then Medic found a piece of paper on his pillow one evening. At first he assumed it was Spy doing some kind of Spy business, or perhaps Erich having one of his moods and not wanting to speak to him directly. He laughed a bit at the irony of finding a letter on his pillow the evening before Valentine’s Day. But as he looked at it closer he realized it was neither Spy nor Erich’s handwriting, and it was not a letter. It was a poem. It was not very long, only taking up half of the page. It was about a bird with beautiful soft feathers and deadly talons. The poem described how the bird laughed as it ripped it’s prey apart and how the sheen of fresh blood only made it’s feathers more magnificent. The poet spoke of how seeing the passion and vigor of the bird’s hunt sparked a fire in their own soul. There was no name signed, only the letter M.</p>
<p>Medic took the paper and quickly left his room to go softly knock on Heavy’s door. Heavy let him in without a word. He took a seat on the edge of his bed and Medic stayed standing.</p>
<p>“Mikhail… this is what you have been working on for the past week?”</p>
<p>Heavy’s face was red but he kept eye contact. “Da.”</p>
<p>“You wrote a poem for me, in a language you find difficult, and delivered it the eve of Valentine’s Day.”</p>
<p>Heavy gave a single slow nod. “Da. This is okay…?”</p>
<p>“Mikhail…” Medic stepped toward him and put his hands on Heavy’s shoulders. Heavy’s own hands hesitantly rose up to rest on Medic’s waist, careful to keep his long claws from gripping. “It was the most beautiful poem I’ve ever read, and possibly the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”</p>
<p>Heavy smiled. “I almost thought you were angry.”</p>
<p>Medic moved closer and let his wings fold forward around Heavy’s shoulders. “I would only be angry if you did not kiss me right now.”</p>
<p>Heavy leaned forward and did just that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can find me on twitter:<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/excitablenickie">https://twitter.com/excitablenickie</a></p><p>Or on tumblr:<br/><a href="https://nickiemoot.tumblr.com">https://nickiemoot.tumblr.com</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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